Ever since we came back home here in Manila in 2016, one of the things that we looked forward to was meeting new people through our blog. And during the early months of being in Manila, we met a guy who was very new to the food business. Starting of with food deliveries, to having a stall at Industrie, and now having his own place for The Broken Oven. Marco Olives, the home cook behind this amazing food brand has grown a lot in just 2 years time. We felt like we have journeyed with him because the growth of The Broken Oven is almost the same age as that of our little girl. In this edition of EATSplorations, we will be sharing about this food brand that we have come to love, as we were able to see and feel the passion of Marco Olives for his baby—The Broken Oven at The Gardens, Loyola Grand Villas. Lechon belly, Chicken and Waffles and S’mores Milkshake. Hungry yet? Just naming a few of the many dishes to love about The Broken Oven. Keep reading and find out more! Enjoy!
The Broken Oven at The Gardens in Loyola Grand Villas!
Not to confuse yourselves, their address may be tagged in Marikina City already but you will need to enter through Loyola Grand Villas in Katipunan, Quezon City. The Broken Oven is in the village’s community center.
Lucky residents of Loyola Grand Villas as they have this cozy restaurant to go to. The look is very industrial in style and the small space was maximized to fit in around 10 people inside and a few seats outside. If you are far from the area like us, travelling here is worth it because of the good food that they can offer their diners.
Since we have known The Broken Oven since its humble beginnings, we ultimately fell in love with their pork belly and baked spaghetti. And during their Industrie days, we loved their kaninballs too. Now that we visited their own space, we tried out new dishes that are fairly new in their menu. If you are planning to dine here for the first time, a must-try dish is their pork belly and sisig kaninball. And if you have room for more, indulge in their other items!
The Broken Oven’s EATS!
Served with bread or rice, this Spanish style Gambas consists of plump shrimps cooked in oilve oil, garlic, and paprika. The sauce itself was lip-smacking for us! We had it with bread so as not to stuff ourselves easily.
If we skipped rice for the gambas, their beef salpicao required us to have a spoonful and more to go with it. US ribeye steak, heaps of garlic, special salpicao sauce, mushrooms and topped with fried garlic bits. Sweet with a hint of tangy flavors from the sauce.
Kesong puti and corned beef?!? Definitely makes a lovely tandem. Olives’ favorite pandesal filled with corned beef, caramelized onions, butter, and of course, kesong puti, served with a side of potato chips. Baby Eats couldn’t resist this tasty and filling dish.
Look at that huge piece of chicken! The cook on the southern fried chicken was perfect that the meat remained really tender and juicy. And the golden brown waffles? Amazing! The thickness of the waffle was just right. Soft and moist, with a crisp. Served with gravy, butter and honey, this dish is worth coming back for.
First time to encounter tapa fries, and it did not disappoint. Tip: Must be eaten right away to have that full EATSperience. Flavorful and really crispy deep fried dry-aged US angus tapa served with fried egg and rice. They also serve tapa fries only, if you are a lover of tapa. Try it and thank us later. đŸ˜€
The Broken Oven really cooks their pork belly like a pro. Deep fried crusted lechon belly slices on top of kimchi rice and balsamic vinaigrette glaze. The mouthwatering slices of pork belly was enough reason to make this dish something that is hard to share. And the spice from the kimchi gave the right amount of kick that we were looking for.
Php 120 for this tall glass of Chocolate S’mores Milkshake! Talk about value for money. For Php 120, this milkshake really tasted like ice cream! With lots of huge marshmallow pieces. We would love to try out their other shakes next time, because we, including Baby Eats, fell in love with this.
The hard work and passion of Marco Olives for The Broken Oven deserves all the praise that we could give. The Broken Oven wouldn’t be where it is now if not for the love that he is giving. And believe us when we said that this place is worth travelling the distance for (if you are far from QC, but if you are just around the area, lucky you!). Really awesome food that are reasonably priced. That’s it for this edition of EATSplorations, ’till next time!
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The Broken Oven
The Gardens, Guatemala Street, Loyola Grand Villas, Marikina, 1800
+63917 816 2726
Operating Hours:
11:00am to 8:00pm (Tue-Sun)
Closed on Mondays
Budget: 800 php for two
EATSplorations 